1. Set up practice charts so that your child can see his/her progress. Time and frequency are two very common (and relatively easy) ways to measure and quantify practice efficacy. Completing a wall chart that documents the time spent playing as well as the frequency of practice imparts to your child that practice should happen […]
Practice is hard
When I was a child, I used to practice the piano standing up. Why? That way I could run to the kitchen (where there was a clock) to check how many minutes had flown by. Once I hit the illustrious thirty minute mark, I would proudly pronounce to both my parents that ‘I just practiced […]
The problem with private one-on-one instrumental lessons
In a recent lecture I gave to undergraduate pre-service teachers, I concluded by saying a single provocative statement: ‘when it comes to education, we should all think more about the f word.’ Of course, the ‘f’ word referred to fun. Why was I saying this? In research conducted by Charlie Williams (an iOS developer, musician […]
Emergent and Progressive Play in Music Education: Ideas into Practice
Some time ago, I completed an online course known as Understanding Video Games where I was acquainted with a Roger Caillois‘ definition of ‘play’ and ‘game.’ ‘Playing’ referred to activity that is unstructured, improvisatory and free. Conversely, ‘gaming’ referred to activity that was goal-orientated, containing rules and structured. Kicking a soccer ball around is an example of play, whilst […]
More Ideas… apologies for not posting or updating this blog
Hello All, First and foremost – thank you for all that attended the piano party. Sorry that I’ve neglected this space, and also neglected student pages – somehow the final weeks of the semester lead to a total neglect of this blog. Here are some things that I am thinking about – any feedback would […]
A post for parents: Quitting … before you quit, here are some things to think about
Amongst children and teenagers, wanting to quit is not uncommon. This is not something exclusive to piano. It happens to students of other instruments, interests and sports. Having said that, I recently read a dissertation on perceptions of practice from young piano students… and apparently the music lesson cessation rate is the highest amongst those […]
